Haaretz - Peter Beinart: "In 2014, American Jewish leaders might lose control of the Israel debate". January 1, 2014. "The Israeli-Palestinian conflict isn't a pivotal issue in American politics. But Iran is, and the generational divide is just as strong. The Iraq War was a far more disillusioning experience for young Americans than for their elders, and you can see Iraq's legacy in the polling on Iran, where according to a 2012 Pew poll, Americans under 30 were thirty points more likely than Americans over 65 to prioritize "avoid[ing] military conflict" with Tehran over "tak[ing] a firm stand" against its nuclear program. When I asked the indispensable folks at Pew to break down the age gaps within the parties, they found that young Republicans were almost as anti-war as old Democrats."

Haaretz - AP: "Kerry to offer outline of Mideast peace deal" December 31, 2013. "State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said Kerry will discuss with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas a proposed framework to serve as a guideline for addressing all core issues in the decades-long dispute. The core issues include the borders between Israel and a future Palestine, security arrangements, the fate of Palestinian refugees and conflicting claims to the holy city of Jerusalem."

The Forward - Yossi Alpher: "A Mideast Peace 'Bridge' Too Far?" December 23, 2013. "Judging by the West Bank security plan presented recently to the two sides by Kerry and John Allen, a retired Marine Corps general, Washington might come forward with bridging proposals as it becomes clear that the framework agreement essentially defines the gaps between the two sides' positions on each key issue. According to some reports, it will do so in late January, regardless of the status of the framework agreement."

L.A. Times - Maher Abukhater: "Palestinian negotiator: peace 'framework' with Israel possible " December 18, 2013. "'April 29 is time for a framework agreement,' Erekat told foreign reporters in this West Bank town near Bethlehem. 'We are not talking about a final peace treaty but only a framework agreement, which is halfway to a final treaty.' He said the final peace treaty will come six to 12 months after signing the framework agreement, which will be implemented in stages."

Yossi Alpher: "How Middle East regional dynamics affect the Israeli-Palestinian peace process" December 12, 2013. "On the other hand, the seeming convergence of views regarding Iran and Syria among Israel, Saudi Arabia, other Gulf Arab states, Jordan (see below) and possibly Egypt - with all the Arab states recognising that Israel currently presents the only likely military deterrent to Iran - could provide an incentive for Israel to register progress in peace negotiations. The Saudis, after all, appear to condition overt security co-operation with Israel against Iran on a successful peace process or at least progress toward this end, citing the Arab Peace Initiative as a possible framework."

Jeffrey Goldberg:"John Kerry Is Israel's Best Friend" December 11, 2013. "Kerry was at his most emotional -- and yes, pro-Israel -- when he described the benefits of peace and when he warned of what would happen to Israel if it continued to settle land that needs to become part of the new state of Palestine for that state to be viable. "Just think of how much more secure Israel would be if it were integrated into a regional security architecture and surrounded by newfound partners," Kerry said. "Think of an end to the unjust but also inexorable campaign to delegitimize Israel in the international community."

Shibley Telhami: "Would Israelis and Palestinians Support a Realistic Peace Deal?" December 9, 2013. "Existing polling has shown that there are many final status issues on which there are serious gaps between the views of the Israeli public and the Palestinian public. But most poll questions are simply asking people their preferences. Negotiating a deal requires finding a package of proposals that includes elements that are not necessarily preferred but can be tolerated by each side. If these publics were to advise their negotiators, what would they say?"

Yuval Diskin: Speech to Geneva Initiative 10 Year Conference - Leading the Way to Peace December 4, 2013. "I would very much like for our home to have clear and agreed borders, to have neighborly relations with our neighbors, and that our homeland reflects values and a consensus that echoes the right priorities: that we put the sanctity of people before the sanctity of land, and I also want a home that does not require the occupation of another people in order to maintain itself."

Arutz Sheva: "Olmert: We've Declared War on Obama Gov't" December 1, 2013. "There is one state in the world that votes for Israel in the UN throughout the years, systematically, even in cases when we were not necessarily 100% right. They always stood at our side. All of these attacks, all the attempts to sic Congress against the American administration - this is a very serious mistake. The only way is to cooperate with the US, modestly, with restraint, with wisdom, and not carry out the argument in unceasing attacks on the American administration."

Haaretz: "Hollande: Jerusalem should be capital of Israel and Palestine." November 18, 2013 "France opposes the settlements," Hollande told a joint press conference after the meeting with Abbas. "Construction in the settlements must be stopped because it will make it more difficult to achieve a two-state solution and get the two sides back to the negotiating table."

Haaretz: "David Makovsky joins Indyk's Middle East peace team." November 18, 2013 "Makovsky has written extensively on the Middle East and particularly on the subject of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the peace process. 'Myths, Illusions, & Peace: Finding a New Direction for America in the Middle East,' which he co-wrote with Denis Ross, was published in 2009."

Mark Landler and Jodi Rudoren - New York Times: Kerry's Path Steepens in Israeli-Palestinian Talks. November 6, 2013 "Mr. Kerry, who came to Jerusalem to recapture the initiative in the moribund talks, struggled to keep them from slipping into a familiar cycle of recrimination on Wednesday. Under pressure from President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, he declared that the Palestinians had not accepted continued building in settlements as an Israeli condition for restarting talks, despite what Israeli leaders had indicated."

Aviad Kleinberg - YNet: This is not how you make peace. October 10, 2013 "...The thing is that political disputes do not remain roots. They grow stems and branches and produce rotten fruit. It is convenient for Netanyahu to go back to 1921 and 1947, just as it is convenient for him to go back, again and again, to Haj Amin al-Husseini and his cooperation with the Nazis. A long time has passed since al-Husseni was the leader of the Palestinian nation; the Nazis have passed from the world, and the year is 2013, not 1921."

Why is Israel 'opening up the settlement floodgates' just as peace talks start? August 12, 2013 - interview with Danny Seidemann in the Washington Post "...There are a few different theories for why the Israeli government does this. The most prevalent is that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely trying to appease more hard-line members of his government, who might be unhappy with Netanyahu's decision to release 104 Palestinian prisoners, a concession to the peace process. Other theories are that Israeli officials are seeking to improve their negotiating position by approving settler construction that they can later roll back, that they're trying to deliberately undermine the peace process or that they want to humiliate Palestinian leaders and weaken them within Palestinian politics."

Dov Weisglass- YNet: This is not how you make peace. August 8, 2013 "...The Israeli government's decision is aimed at deepening, expanding and enlarging the Israeli "holes" in the Palestinian 'slice of cheese,' despite knowing full well that the Palestinians will never agree to a state that is dissected by Israeli settlements, and neither will the international community. "

Open Zion- Matt Duss: Giving Talks The Best Chance Possible. August 8, 2013 "...While the images of a U.S. secretary of state shuttling back and forth from the Middle East may seem familiar on the surface, Secretary Kerry's efforts to create movement on a range of fronts marks a shift in strategy for the administration. While still acknowledging direct talks between Israelis and Palestinians as the necessary arena for final status negotiations, Secretary Kerry's approach is based on the understanding that certain steps can and must be taken in order to give the talks a greater chance of success. "

The Boston Globe- Farah Stockman: 'Getting to Yes' in the Middle East. July 30, 2013 "They said it couldn't be done. But he did it. Monday night, John Kerry got Palestinian and Israeli negotiators to agree to eat a meal together for the first time in years. They say talks can't make peace. But who knows without trying? One thing we know for sure is that peace doesn't make itself. "

The Forward - Yossi Alpher: The Issues the Peace Process Should Avoid. July 29, 2013 "...Let's suspend our skepticism and assume real negotiations begin and that the two sides are capable of delivering on the concessions they offer. Assuming all that, the most important challenge the Israelis and Palestinians face is to agree to abandon the disastrous mantra that has defined their deliberations for 20 years: "nothing is agreed until everything is agreed."

Secretary Kerry's Press Availability in Tel Aviv December 13, 2013. Secretary Kerry: "Our goal remains as it always has been - for the Israelis and Palestinians to reach a final status agreement - not an interim agreement, a final status agreement. And both parties remain committed to fulfilling their obligations to stay at the table and negotiate hard during the nine-month period that we set for that."

Secretary Kerry's Remarks at the Transformational Trends Strategic Forum December 11, 2013. Secretary Kerry: ""President Obama is committed to this process because he understands that the possibilities of peace are dramatic and worth fighting for: a secure, Jewish, and democratic Israel living alongside a sovereign and independent Palestinian state; an Israel that enjoys peace and normalized relations with 22 Arab nations. That's what waiting if you can implement a peace, because that's what's been promised in the Arab Peace Initiative, which has now been updated to include the possibility of swaps along '67 lines, as long as Israel is recognized - and also with 35 Muslim nations - 57 nations in all in one fell swoop."

Secretary Kerry's Press Availability at Ben Gurion International Airport December 6, 2013 Secretary Kerry: "He said, "It always seems impossible until it is done." I think it's appropriate for us to think about that in the context of the work that I've been doing here in the last couple of days and over these last months, and of the hopes and aspirations of the people of this region. That example of Nelson Mandela is an example that we all need to take to heart as we face the challenge of trying to reach a two-state solution."

Secretary Kerry's Joint Statement With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu December 5, 2013 Secretary Kerry: "General John Allen, who is one of the very best military minds in the United States, one of our most experienced military leaders, who has been spending months now analyzing the security challenges with respect to this process - President Obama has designated him to play a very special role in assessing the potential threats to Israel, to the region, and ensuring that the security arrangements that we might contemplate in the context of this process will provide for greater security for Israel."

Secretary Kerry's Statement Following Meeting With President Mahmoud Abbas December 5, 2013 Secretary Kerry: "We, I think, made some progress in discussing some of the ideas that are on the table. We are not going to discuss these further publicly, but I will say that the goal here for everybody is a viable Palestinian state with the Palestinian people living side by side in peace with the state of Israel and with the people of Israel."

Secretary Kerry's Remarks With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Before Their Meeting October 23, 2013. PM Netanyahu: "The second thing we're discussing all the time - and I'm not revealing state secrets if I tell you that we - the Secretary and I talk more or less every other day about these twin goals - is to advance the peace with the Palestinians. That peace is premised on mutual recognition of two states for two peoples - the Palestinian state for the Palestinian people mirrored by the Jewish state for the Jewish people."

Secretary Kerry's Remarks With Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid al-Atiyah Before Their Meeting October 21, 2013 Secretary Kerry: " I might comment that in the middle of our meeting today, His Highness Prince Saud al-Faisal of Saudi Arabia very eloquently stated, 'You know, if you're thinking about what the vision for peace of the Arab world, all you really have to do is look at the Arab Peace Initiative, which offers immediate peace to Israel when settling the Palestinian issue, a peace that will bring normal commerce, embassies, normal relations, connections between people and between countries, not with one or two nations, but with 57 nations all at one time - 35 Muslim nations, 22 Arab nations. That's a vision, and it's a vision worth fighting for.'"

Knesset winter session opens with remarks from President Peres and PM Netanyahu. October 14, 2013 PM Netanyahu: "I will tell you something that goes against the accepted view - easing the pressure will not strengthen moderate trends in Iran. On the contrary, it will strengthen the uncompromising views of the real ruler of Iran, the Ayatollah Khamenei, and will be seen as a significant victory by him."

Transcript of Special Envoy Martin Indyk's Remarks at the J-Street Gala. September 30, 2013.
Indyk: "Now is the time to go back to your communities and engage the skeptics and those who have been disheartened by so many of the failures of the past. To tell them that peace is possible, that it is not a mirage, that this does not need to end badly. Tell them the peacemakers need their help. Israel needs their help. That if you just sit on the sidelines and lament the world that is, rather than work for the world that can be, we will never achieve peace."

John Kerry Remarks at the Meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee. September 25, 2013 Secretary Kerry: " think it's an understatement to say that the breadth and depth of the leadership in this room is a very clear demonstration of the commitment of the international community to the cause of peace between Israel and the Palestinians. And I think it's a testimony to the fact that everybody here knows in your gut and in your head that the two-state solution is the only way forward. I've read occasionally in the papers lately some people who try to assert a one-state solution, on one side or the other, I might add. Anybody who has studied this issue through the years knows there is no one-state solution. There is no peace through the concept. There is no capacity for people of either Palestinian or Israeli nationality to find peace through that solution. We have to move to the two-state solution, and we have to do it rapidly.."

Remarks With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu After His Meeting With Secretary Kerry. September 15, 2013 PM Secretary Kerry: "I am talking to both leaders directly. And everybody, I think, understands the goal that we are working for. It is two states living side by side in peace and in security. Two states because there are two proud peoples, both of whom deserve to fulfill their legitimate national aspirations in a homeland of their own, and two states because today, as we commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War, I think everybody is reminded significantly of the costs of conflict and the price, certainly, that Israelis have paid in the quest for their security and identity."

Middle East Peace Negotiators Come To Washington. August 1, 2013, published on the White House blog.
Obama: "The most difficult work of these negotiations is ahead, and I am hopeful that both the Israelis and Palestinians will approach these talks in good faith and with sustained focus and determination. The United States stands ready to support them throughout these negotiations, with the goal of achieving two states, living side by side in peace and security." Kerry: "I think everyone involved here believes that we cannot pass along to another generation the responsibility of ending a conflict that is in our power to resolve in our time... while I understand the skepticism, I don't share it and I don't think we have time for it... A viable two-state solution is the only way this conflict can end, and there is not much time to achieve it, and there is no other alternative."

Remarks on the Middle East Peace Process Talks (with video). July 30, 2013 Secretary Kerry: "We're here today because the Israeli people and the Palestinian people both have leaders willing to heed the call of history, leaders who will stand strong in the face of criticism and are right now for what they know is in their people's best interests. Their commitment to make tough choices, frankly, should give all of us hope that these negotiations actually have a chance to accomplish something."

Special Briefing by a Senior White House Official and Senior State Department Official on Israeli-Palestinian Peace Talks. July 30, 2013
Official: "As the Secretary announced, we watched final status negotiations, direct final status negotiations between the parties today. [Senior White House Official] mentioned, I think, the atmosphere was excellent between the parties. We tackled mainly process issues. This summer, you can imagine, is the beginning of a nine month negotiation. There are certain modalities that need to be worked out between the parties. We agreed on the next meeting, which will take place in the region within the next two weeks. We discussed the U.S. role, and as the Secretary said, we will be playing the role as facilitator. We will be deeply engaged in the process and we will be there every step of the way."

Statement by President Obama on the Resumption of Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations. July 29, 2013 Obama: "I am pleased that Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas have accepted Secretary Kerry's invitation to formally resume direct final status negotiations and have sent senior negotiating teams to Washington for the first round of meetings. This is a promising step forward, though hard work and hard choices remain ahead."

Transcript Of SecState Kerry's Remarks With Ambassador Martin Indyk. July 29, 2013
Kerry: "Ambassador Indyk is realistic. He understands that Israeli-Palestinian peace will not come easily and it will not happen overnight. But he also understands that there is now a path forward and we must follow that path with urgency. He understands that to ensure that lives are not needlessly lost, we have to ensure that opportunities are not needlessly lost. And he shares my belief that if the leaders on both sides continue to show strong leadership and a willingness to make those tough choices and a willingness to reasonably compromise, then peace is possible."

Remarks at the American Jewish Committee Global Forum by SecState Kerry. June 3, 2013
Kerry: "I thank you, every single one of you, for all that you do for Israel, but more for human rights, for civil rights around the world, for women's rights, in fighting racism, religious intolerance, and torture. Thank you for all that you do to fight anti-Semitism around the world. I'm proud that I just appointed Ira Forman to lead that fight against anti-Semitism from the State Department, and you have a very strong partner in Ira. And of course, I thank you for what you do for the American Jewish community."

Remarks to Special Program on Breaking the Impasse World Economic Forum. May 26, 2013 Secretary Kerry: "Now, one thing I want to make crystal clear, and President Peres mentioned this in his comments: The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is not the cause of the Arab Awakening. But this fundamental principle of what economics can do to play a profound role in meeting the needs of both peoples is critical."

Tzipi Livni
Livni is the current Israeli Minister of Justice. She has held 9 Cabinet portfolios in various governments, including serving from 2006-2009 as the Minister of Foreign Affairs when she was the head of the Kadima party. She now heads the Hatnuah party.

Yitzhak Molcho
Molcho is a lawyer and longtime advisor to Benjamin Netanyahu, Molcho headed the Israeli negotiating team under the previous Netanyahu government.

Saeb Erekat
Erekat is a veteran leader of Palestinian negotiations with Israel, dating back to the 1991 Madrid peace conference, though the present day.

Martin Indyk
On July 29, 2013, Secretary of State Kerry named Indyk to be the U.S. special envoy for the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Indyk previously served in a number of high-level U.S. government positions, including Ambassador to Israel and Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. As envoy, he is on leave of absence from his current position as the vice president and director of the Foreign Policy Program at the Brooking Institution.